Tuesday, December 27, 2016

We're getting a clearer picture of how science in America will be treated under Trump. It's horrifying. Our scientific endeavors are under severe threat, as is our environment. Scientists and those who support science have every reason to be concerned about the next several years.

I’ve faced hostile investigations by politicians, demands for me to be fired from my job, threats against my life and even threats against my family. Those threats have diminished in recent years, as man-made climate change has become recognized as the overwhelming scientific consensus and as climate science has received the support of the federal government. But with the coming Trump administration, my colleagues and I are steeling ourselves for a renewed onslaught of intimidation, from inside and outside government. It would be bad for our work and bad for our planet.

[snip]

We are afraid that four (possibly eight) years of denial and delay might commit the planet to not just feet, but yards, of sea level rise, massive coastal flooding (made worse by more frequent Katrina and Sandy-like storms), historic deluges, and summer after summer of devastating heat and drought across the country.

We also fear an era of McCarthyist attacks on our work and our integrity. It’s easy to envision, because we’ve seen it all before. We know we could be hauled into Congress to face hostile questioning from climate change deniers. We know we could be publicly vilified by politicians. We know we could be at the receiving end of federal subpoenas demanding our personal emails. We know we could see our research grants audited or revoked.

I faced all of those things a decade ago, the last time Republicans had full control of our government.

With his climate denying cabinet—including Exxon CEO Rex Tillersonas Secretary of State, Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers or U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT, in the running for Secretary of Interior—and a fossil-fuel friendly U.S. House and Senate, it is no understatement to say the Trump is preparing a fossil fuel takeover of the U.S. economy. But the economy won't be the only thing that's taken over. Our public lands, clean air and clean water will face a withering assault.

In case you were still wondering about the incoming Trump administration's attitude toward science —and at this point you’d have to live on Mars to not see what's going on— take a look at the person Trump has picked to run the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Congressperson Mick Mulvaney (R-South Carolina).

I’ve made something of a career in debunking nonsense when it comes to science, from people who think the Moon landings were faked to hair-on-fire UFOlogists who think every lens flare and dust mote in a photo is the precursor to an alien invasion.

So when I say that Trump’s adviser Anthony Scaramucci just let loose one of the more asinine streams of anti-science garbage I’ve heard, you must appreciate the scale of what I mean.

DeVos’s deregulation approach to charter schools is wrong for America’s schoolchildren for other reasons as well. For example, without sufficient governmental oversight, charter schools may violate parents’ and students’ rights by proselytizing and imposing religious instruction on students and by assigning religious textbooks.

We at Americans United know from experience that this is already happening at charter schools across the country.

Science is going to need our help to survive this regime. We used to be the scientific leaders of the world. If we want to stay in the forefront of scientific advances, we will need to resist Trump and his merry band of anti-science lackeys at every turn. We'll need to speak out for science at every opportunity, demand better of our elected officials, and support our scientists in their work, no matter what it takes.

Monday, July 4, 2016

View from our porch at 6am the other day, taken by my better half on a cell phone. Best viewed large by clicking on it.

Wish I were home. Only two more weeks of proton therapy and I will be. It's been a long couple of months. I strongly urge everyone 45 years old and up, to get regular PSA tests. This is no vacation, but the alteratives are worse.
(Thought I'd try a post using the phone)

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Sometimes it pays to be lazy! I didn't get around to setting this swarm trap out and the bees didn't wait for me, & just moved in yesterday.

(Yes PP. That's a practice bomb behing the trap)

Just took a few minutes to move the frame of comb & shake the rest of the bees off the top bars & into the new hive. 99% are inside now. Not a real big swarm, maybe a small football's worth, but they have plenty of time to grow. It was a cool day & they were previously all getting ready to build comb, so not much outside action.. I gave them a frame of honey, a 1/2 a pollen patty, & mostly drawn comb. Forage isn't that great right now, but should improve soon with the blackberry season being early..

Guard bees! :-)

One drawn frame against one side & 5 top bars. They seem to like that arraignment.

Monday, April 18, 2016

A day late though, they had already moved into the old hive in the barn. Saturday. Sunday I cut them out. This gives me a chance to clean the old comb & wax moth cocoons & webs out. I'll close it back up as there is it always seems to have bees. A few screws and it will be easy to uncover next time. I sure wish I'd seen them before they moved in, but then again, I needed to clean the feral barn hive up.

I added a queen excluder on the entrance & screened the inner cover vent hole to keep the queen in. I had a newly hived swarm leave last year. I'll see if this helps. It's just a piece cut off of a full excluder & set into grooves cut into the three piece frame.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

It was a pretty good sized swarm & by the time I got my camera all but a few were inside already.

Look at all those fat little tails up in the air.

As you may recall from a recent post, the hive had grown considerably. I was mowing the lawn today and was under the largest apple tree and I looked up. I was in the middle of a swarm. I was expecting it, but never saw them come out or settle anywhere, but now I bet they were in the tree all along. In any case, I turned the mower off & walked with the swarm towards the barn expecting them to ball up in one of the fruit trees. It seems they already had, and were headed to the old feral hive in the corner of the barn. Sure enough, they moved in. This should be an easy cut out if I do it right away. I wish I had more time, I'm already way behind on everything.

Although I didn't see them come out of the house, the heat signature from the hive is now much smaller. Still a good size hive though, they may swarm again.

before

after

I wish they had gone into one of the empty hives I didn't get around to setting up. :-)

Thursday, April 7, 2016

This has grown a lot in the last couple of weeks! It may be time to keep an eye out for when it swarms. That or cut it out & hive it. More will move in as usual.
This was in Feb.with the Flir one looking at the outside wall.
I'm able to take different heat/color patterns.

Taken Feb. 11th

The night shots don't have the outlines from the regular camera.

This was taken Feb.15th

The next shots were taken today. April 7th

The comb is over six feet long now.

I can cut the drywall from inside in a small closet, but it will be a little cramped and the house will probably have a lot of bees flying around for a while which won't bother me, but the wife & dog may complain. :-).

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Had a pleasant surprise when I got the Jeep running again with a new battery. The Swarm trap is still full of bees.
Granted winter was mild here, but it rained constantly. These bees loaded up on the blackberries last year and are doing well. I left it up as I had enough to do and thought it might be interesting to see if they would survive without my interference or feeding. I checked it off and on with the Flir one & it always showed a good heat signature. One of my hives is weak & if it doesn't make it that's where these ladies are going. It's hung on an oak in a somewhat sheltered place with late morning sun when it makes it over the hill to the East. The entrance is to the North, but the winds come up my valley to the North so I guess they didn't mind. There is a small piece of 1/4" screen over the entrance hole to keep varmints & birds out. It holds six deep frames & I used one old brood comb & some old empty frames.